Direct cremation is a simpler and more affordable option than a traditional funeral and burial for families. With a direct cremation in Florida, the body of the deceased is cremated shortly after death. No public viewing or embalming is necessary.
Direct cremations avoid the high cost of funerals, ceremonies, and burials and often appeal to families that want a simple solution or prefer to either hold a memorial celebration or gathering at their home rather than at a funeral chapel or have a ceremony to scatter the ashes.
Direct Cremation in Florida — Benefits
The reasons families choose direct cremation in Florida vary, including:
Reduced Costs
The average cost of direct cremation in Florida is about $2,600 although you can often find funeral homes and crematoriums offering direct cremation services for as low as $800. In comparison, direct cremation with a service averages $6,100, and a traditional funeral and burial averages more than $8,000 in Florida.
Savings stem from avoiding expenses like embalming, cosmetology, ceremonial caskets, funeral hearses, funeral service staff, and facility rentals.
Flexibility for Memorials
Families can still hold memorial services, celebrations of life, or scattering ceremonies at their convenience after the direct cremation. No preservation of the body is required for these informal events.
Environmentally-friendly
With direct cremation, families avoid the use of embalming chemicals and burial caskets, which may be environmentally harmful. Cremated remains can nourish the soil or marine ecosystems.
Care and respect
Families can rest assured that direct cremation providers still treat the deceased with the utmost care and empathy during transportation and cremation.
Direct Cremation in Florida—Considerations
Direct cremation is not for everyone. Although nationwide, the cremation rate is about 60%, direct cremation is not right for every family. There may be religious beliefs or strong views about funeral proceedings, and family members may want a more traditional service to pay their respects.
However, for many families, a direct cremation strikes a balance between flexibility and affordability while still allowing them to honor their loved ones.
Direct Cremation Arrangements
You can make arrangements through your local funeral home or accredited crematorium, which can provide a detailed price list so you can choose the services or options you want. This can increase or reduce the cost depending on what you choose.
Typically, direct cremation arrangements follow these steps:
- Notification of death: As with any death, the first step is contacting emergency responders so proper death notification and certificates can be filed. In most situations, the county medical examiner will need to sign off before the body is cremated.
- Transportation: The cremation provider arranges transportation of the deceased’s body from the place of death to a refrigerated holding facility. In Florida, bodies must be refrigerated or embalmed within 24 hours of passing.
- Preparation: The deceased is identified and then dressed in a cloth shroud or basic container for cremation. No embalming or body preservation is performed.
- Cremation: Within a few days, the contained is placed in a cremation machine or retort, subjecting it to extreme heat and flame to reduce it to bone fragments and ashes.
- Processing remains: After cooling, the bone fragments left behind are swept and processed into finer cremated remains or “cremains.”
- Urn or temporary container: Families can choose an urn for the final placement of cremains or utilize the basic temporary container provided.
- Return of cremains: The cremains are legally released to the designated family member or representative.
- Final disposition: Families can choose to keep the remains, scatter them in a location of significance, or bury them in an urn. You will want to check with local authorities about any restrictions on spreading ashes.
Funeral home providers stay up-to-date on laws and regulations and can advise you and answer any questions you may have.
Consider Whole Body Donations with Direct Cremation
You may want to consider a whole body donation along with direct cremation. Donating your loved one’s body can make an important contribution to the advancement of medical science. Whole body donations help train doctors and surgeons, lead to breakthroughs in drug and device research, and help medical researchers understand the progress of disease to look for more effective treatments.
United Tissue Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, handles whole body donations and ensures the deceased’s body is handled ethically and respectfully. UTN pays for all the costs associated with storage, transportation, cremation, and return of the remains upon request.
By participating in whole body donation through UTN, families can avoid the cost of a direct cremation in Florida and take comfort in helping others.
To learn more about whole body donations in Florida, contact United Tissue Network today at 877-738-6111.